I i john g



JOHN G. Ross, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Trim-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent 1\l`o.V 3,1816, dated November 9, 18414.

To all whom t may concern y Be it known that I, JOHN GERARD Boss, of thecity, county, and State of New York,

`model-maker and machinist, have invented and made certain new anduseful improve-` ments in `the mechanical arrangement,` application,andcombination of the parts` em-` ployed in what is technically known asthe tide-mill, the intent and effect of such improvements being thatsuch mills shall beable to work with less loss of time aiidz be moreequally and continuously effective than by any arrangement now in use tomy ofthe mill-pond shall always run one way:` in the race, whether thetide be rising or falling, and the wheel or wheels are made to rise andfall ,with the water so that no interruption of the power occurs exceptfor a short time atthe high and lowV water `of each tide; theseimprovements designate collectively v`as, Rosss plemaian or constanttide-mill, and for the same I seek Letters Patent of the United States;and further know'ye that the said` improve ments and the mode ofconstructing, arranging, applying, and combining the same are fully andsubstantially set forth and shown in the following description and 1nthe drawingsannexed to and making a part of this specification, wherein-Figure 1, is a plan of all the parts in place for use; Fig. 2, is asectional elevation, lengthwise in the line A, B, Fig. `l; Fig. 3, is across sectional elevation of the parts, at the end A, of Figs.` l, and2, seen, as cut through the wheel; Fig. 4, isa cross sectional elevationof the parts at the end B,

of Figs. l, and 2, seenlikewise, as if cut through the wheel; Fig. 5, isa plan of the wheel race, water `or tide gate, and parts near thefoundationof the dam walls, and wheel race, and below the line `06,1 m,Fig. 2, and the same letters numbers and other marks of reference, applyto the like parts, in all the several figures.` y

C, is the outer dam wall, next the tide, on open space of tide water T;D, is the inner dam wall, next the mill pond or inclosed space M; thesewalls` C, and D, together form the wheel race Fn and as will be seenhereafter", may be made of any length, to

`inclose a space as aimill pond, and may work any number of wheels, thatthe length will conveniently receive: In each of these walls,4

on each side Vthe wheel race, abreast of or at the side of each wheel,the walls are to be built so as to forma pit, or opening F, from thesurface, down to the foundation, but constructed with openings in thebase, neXtt-he race at a, seethe Figs. 2, 3, and "4f, to admit the riseand fall of the tide, in the pits F, for the purpose of floating thecaissons G, G', at the level of the tide water, these may be made ofwood, `or metal, `or

both, of a proper size to float, and thereby maintain a uniform height,above the `water b, o', these are secured in anyconvenient way on thecaissons Gr, G, and are tted with journal boxes 1, 1, at a proper orproportional height, to receive the shaft o, of the main tide wheel H,and a curved opening at 4, shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, as

cut into the inner pit walls, allows the shaft c, to rise and fall withthe tide, in the proper line of motion: On each outer end of the shaftc, is a spur wheel d, or elf, these respectively gear into drivingwheels e, e', on the ends of a shaft f, see Figs. l, 2, and 3` which ismounted on journal boxes 2, 2, on standards g, g, securely fitted on thesolid walls of the dam; Two radius bars 7i, h', are connected by boXes,straps, gibs, and keys 3, 8, to the shafts c, and f, and maintain theproper relative positions between the centers of the shafts c, and f,and wheels H, CZ, and e,these bars 7L, 7i', may be best made, with rightand left handed screws in the ends, taking into similar nuts, in thestocks to which` the boxes and straps are fitted, but any otherconvenient means may be used, that will maintain the properadjustmentsof the gearing and Working parts.

To secure the proper position of the caissons ,in the centers of thestandards or` frames G, G', at each period of the tide, two cir-` culargrooves 5, 5, shown in Fig. l, in place, and by dotted lines in Fig. 2,as` made in the outer side of the pit wall are fitted to receive studso, or blocks, carrying rollers on the corresponding parts of thecaissons, see the detached Fig. 6, where these are shown, sectionally,in place in the pit and wall, the grooves 5, must be 'segments ofcircles, whose common center may be `found by the intersection oftworectangular lines, from the bisection of straight liiies,-to,` andfrom, the upper and lower halves of the line of motion, in the caisson.Two standard posts 10, Figs. l, 2, ,and 4,- carry a head block l1, inwhich two large pulleys 7, and` two small pulleys S, receive chains 6,6, secured one end by an eye to the standards b, b', and passing overthe pulleys 7, and 8 terminate, each, in an eye on a box z', containinga mass of heavy matter, sufficient to counterpoise the caissons andwheel, andv ratchets andpawls, and mounted in standards g, on the racewalls C, and D.

The method of giving a current in the samel direction on both the floodand ebb vtide is now to be described. Thesingle tide gate I, Fig. 1, isshown, in this ligure, as`

hung to a competent support in the bank or wall at A, Fig. 1, and closedagainst the inner dam wall D, admitting the current of the rising, orflood tide, from the tide side T, of the dam wall C, to run throughthe'race 'E, and carry the wheel H, in the direction shown by the arrows12; the outer current gate K, is shown, shut, from the outer dam wall C,to a shutting jamb fitted to receive vit in the bank or wall at B, Fig.1, where `it is kept, by the pressure, caused by the external, or tidewater, at T, being higher than that in the mill pond at M, the innercurrent gate L, being open, to pass the water from the race to the pondM, so that the current, running through the race E, carries the wheelII, as shown by the arrows 12, Fig. 1, and fills the pond M, supplying awater power to run out, when the external tide falls; in Fig. 5, thesingle tide gate I, is shown shut, against the outer dam wall andforcing the water from the pond side M, of the dam wall D, to pass out,as the tide falls, in the directionof the arrows 13, the inner currentgate L is shown as closed, to prevent the water in the pond, passing bythat end of the inner dam,fand will remain shut, by the internal water,so long as that in the pond M, is higher, than the external, or falling`tide water, at T, and the outer current gate K, is shown as open, topass the water fro-m the race, to the river, or ocean, on the side T, ofthe dam wall C.

In fitting the caissons, Ido not mean to confine, or limit myself to themode shown,

of balancing them and the wheel and equip- 4ment-s by chains andweights,butIintendto use any other convenient mechanical means,

-for suchV purposes, that maybe substantially the same, in practice andeffect, and if when new and dry, the caissons haveV more power offlotation than is required, a small cock may befitted, to admit so muchwater, as is needful to load the caissons to the required depth; andwhen, by any cause, the caissons have too much water in them, or becomeleaky, a small pump may be fitted into either of them, and be attached,in any convenient way, to the main shaft, and worked-so as to keep anysuch leakage pumped out; and as before premised I do not intend toconfine, or limit myself, to the construction of dams, whose lengthshall be only competent to receive one wheel, with its equipments, butlI intend to make the double dam walls, Vand mill race as long, as thelocalities of situation will allow, and work anyjnumber of wheels, thatthe dam walls will receive,plac ing the tide gate at one end, and thecurrent gates at the other end of the dams, whatever their length maybe.Y It will be seen, that with any number of wheels, thus fitted, nointerruption will take place in the work, eX- cept at the dead lowwater, or high water of each tide, for the instant the water, on

either side the dam, is higher than on *the opposite side the`V tidegate I, will go over to, and close on, thelowest side, and the like yeect` will takeplace with the current gate, o-n that side, the othercurrent gate opening, to pass the water, so that the operations of thetide, alone, will change the gates, and set the wheel, or wheels, inwork; and it will be seen, that in cases, where the wheel race shall beover about twelve feet wide, it mayV be proper to make the tide andcurrent gates in two parts, which may be done, in any convenient andeffective. manner, and the pro-` portions, between the width and heightof the gates, must be regulated by the proportion existing, between thewidth of race chosen, and the rise and fall of the tide, in the givenlocality. It may be proper, to protect the -tide and current gates fromwrecks, or drift wood, on the tide side of the dam, but many well knownmodes can, be chosen for doing this, that it is not ,needful to describeherein.

I am aware, that tide mills have been pro-` posed, or made, with fourates, to run the water alike, on flood and eb, and requiring manualattendance, to open andshut them, at the'turn of the tide; but no tidemills have, to my knowledge, been proposed, or made, with three selfacting gates, and longitudinal dam walls, forming the race, in

combination with means to float the wheel,

or wheels, and maintain an equality Yof power, during the flood and ebb;and although the means described, vor Vparts of these described, `forregulating the wheel,

Vmay have been used before, they have not been used, collectively, intide races, in the.

manner proposed herein, therefore I limitl my claim as follows: Y

I claim as new, and of my own invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent- 1. The mode described of fitting the tide gate I, at one end ofa race way, formedV by 3. I claim the combination of the described Inodeof tt'ng the gates, and wheel, or 15 wheels, and making them acttogether, in the manner described herein.` n

` In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in the city Vof ANewYork, this twentieth day of June, inthe year one thou- 20 sand eighthundred and forty-four.

JOHN GERARD `Ross.

Witnesses:` g

W. SERRELL, t i EDWARD W. SERRELL.

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